10 things I wish I'd done differently on my first cruise, from booking a better room to avoiding specialty restaurants

Before April 2022, I had never seen a cruise ship in real life.

India recorded a cruise tourism footfall of 470,000 in the 2023-24 financial year – its highest ever. Domestic tourists accounted for nearly 80% of this, as international cruise tourism in India has yet to revive to pre-Covid levels. 

Thanks to its ancient ruins, picturesque beaches, and incredible food, Greece is one of the top tourist destinations. In 2023, over 32 million people visited.

Anyone who’s been to Indonesia's Gili Islands would likely agree on one thing – you can’t help but feel relaxed as soon as you set foot on the fine white sands.

As someone who's taken over 50 cruises all over the world, I know firsthand how popular cruising is this year. But one seabound itinerary people often forget to add to their bucket lists is a Mediterranean cruise.

Get ready for the Battle of the Cruise Ship Giants out of Miami.

In April 2022, I cruised on board Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. At the time, it was the largest cruise ship in the world, but the title has since been replaced by Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas.

I've sailed around the world as a cruise-ship employee, and now I enjoy cruising as a passenger.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, the all-inclusive river cruise line with sailings for just 120 guests on average, is offering its first wave of a summer flash sale today, April 16, with select itineraries offering savings of 50 percent. 

AmaWaterways is delaying the launch of its new river cruises in Colombia.

For big adventures this year, consider expedition cruising to discover engaging and enlivening destinations across the globe. Wilderness Travel has a curated line-up for 2024—2025, which includes tours to the world’s last frontier—Antarctica; journeys to the far north in the Arctic; exclusive once-a-year odyssey cruises to multiple locales around the planet like the coast of West Africa, northern Europe, and Asia; and dynamic river cruises on the planet’s most well-loved rivers—the Danube, Mekong, Amazon, Magdalena, and Rhine. Keep reading to plan out your next voyage.

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Allie Hubers , a 29-year-old freelance travel writer. It's been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified Hubers' expenses.